Top Stories 
Published On May 3, 2006
POLICY
Blood Count
The need for—and dearth of—one precious commodity.
2
Seconds that pass until another American needs a transfusion
4,500,000
Number of American lives saved each year by transfusions
48
Gallons of blood an American could donate if she began giving at age 17 and gave every 56 days until reaching age 76
5
Estimated annual percentage of eligible Americans who donate
500,000
Number of Americans who donated in the days following the September 11 attacks
29,000,000
Number of units of blood components transfused in 2001 (a single donation can be divided into plasma, platelets and red blood cells)
2
Times as likely heart patients are to die after a transfusion to treat blood loss or anemia as heart patients who do not receive a transfusion, possibly because of such problems as artery disease aggravated by the transfusion.
Dispatches
Heroes for a Day Infectious disease doctors are the linchpin of the pandemic response. But once the crisis passes, will we be wise enough to train more?
God Panels, Then and Now Who most deserves a medical device? A brief history of an impossible conversation.
Bullies on Notice Toxic work environments are bad for science. Morteza Mahmoudi is on a crusade to clean them up.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road, Ethically The pressure is on to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. The human risks in that process are already front and center.
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